Cabinet reshuffle, imminent – Silumina
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President Maithripala Sirisena is rather watchful about his cabinet, and any one of them found to be incompetent or accused of wrongdoing will lose the position, says state-run ‘Silumina.’

The newspaper quotes UPFA general secretary Mahinda Amaraweera as saying the president was thinking about reshuffling the cabinet in view of the conduct of certain of its members.

There could be a change any time of the ministers who are inefficient, he said.

Reports reaching Sri Lanka Mirror say that mainly the serious criticism of the finance ministry has prompted the president to consider a cabinet reshuffle.

As per the agreement between the president and the prime minister, the UNP has the finance ministry.

The ministry had been under a single minister for a long time, but now its subjects are divided among the PM, Ravi Karunanayake and Kabir Hashim.

The customs, excise department, the two lotteries boards and the finance ministry building come under Karunanayake, while state banks, insurance corporation and other financial institutions are Hashim’s responsibility.

The Central Bank and all state financial institutions come under the PM.

Government sources say the president has asked the PM to bring all those institutions under the finance ministry and take the overall charge.

Although Karunanayake is accused over the finance ministry, he is only the nominal minister, with the PM’s advisers Charitha Ratwatte and R. Paskaralingam running its affairs, the sources add.